Shoppers this holiday season planning to buy one or more mobile phone for people on their wishlist, or themselves, probably will want to create a shortlist that includes devices from Sony Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung, LG and Apple (News - Alert). That’s the conclusion one could reach after examining a new report out this week from M:Metrics in which the research firm examined which phones consumers are happiest with, and what they use those devices for.

 

December is a big month for mobile phone purchases. For 2006 in the U.S., M:Metrics (News - Alert) said, 12 percent of customers bought their phones during the final 31 days of the year, a rate 40 percent higher than the monthly average. In Europe, the number was even higher, with 15 percent of subscribers buying their phones during December, 90 percent above average.

 

Not all phones are created equal, of course. Customers definitely report higher satisfaction after purchasing specific models, varying somewhat my region. Based on surveys conducted during September, 2007, M:Metrics’ research shows that customers in the U.S., for example, are happiest with LG’s VX9900 enV (orange model), Apple’s iPhone (News - Alert) (8GM model) and LG’s AX355.

 

In the UK, customers said they were happiest with Sony Ericsson’s (News - Alert) K810i, Samsung’s SGH-E250 and Nokia’s 2310. In France and Germany, phones from Sony Ericsson dominated the satisfaction list, while devices from Nokia (News - Alert) were ranked highest by Italian users.

 

“Consumers who love their mobile phone are more likely to recommend it to someone else, and potentially buy it as a gift,” noted M:Metrics analyst Paul Goode, in a statement. He added that, at the premium end of the market, devices like Apple’s iPhone and Nokia’s N95 may be picked as gifts in lieu of other consumer electronics like videogame consoles or MP3 players.

 

In all the regions M:Metrics examined, text-messaging turned out to be the most popular non-voice application for mobile phones, indicating that most users have moved beyond using handsets for voice calls to other forms of communication. Other popular uses for mobile phones included photo messaging, personal and work e-mail, ringtone  and wallpaper/screensaver purchases, instant messaging, and mobile game downloads.